Chapter 247: Busy

Kaor approached with a piece of parchment in hand.

"Lord Phield, I’ve encountered a situation. Logically, I should refuse it outright, but there may be profit in it."

"That sounds like good news." Phield raised an eyebrow.

"A free citizen wants to buy some chickens, but all livestock currently belongs to you as private property."

"That’s a good thing. It strengthens the people’s ability to handle risk and increases overall production."

"Yes, my lord. We could also establish a series of taxes, such as livestock tax and chicken manure tax, and require them to submit eggs to us every month."

Kaor slapped his fist into his palm, eyes gleaming. "We can squeeze those lowborns for every last gold coin!"

"You really understand exploitation, but we don’t need to do that. We’ll collect a commodity tax in the future. Excessive taxation only suppresses productivity."

Phield gestured lightly with both hands. "Aside from horses, cattle, direwolves, and spiders, all other animals can be traded by the people. Draft a pricing list for me."

"Very well. I find that quite regrettable. My lord, are you sure you don’t want to add a few more taxes?"

Phield waved it off. "Not necessary for now. There’s not much to squeeze out anyway."

"Speaking of spiders, how is the construction of the enclosure for the Rose Spiders going?"

Thinking of the terrifying appearance of those giant spiders, Kaor shuddered. "As per your instructions, we built the enclosure in the industrial district, but to be frank, it’s practically become a forbidden zone. The workers are so frightened they don’t even dare wear trousers."

Phield blinked in confusion. "Not wear trousers?"

"Yes. Because they’d wet themselves from fear. Wearing trousers would be uncomfortable."

"Haha. Post a notice at the grand winery and recruit bold citizens. Increase the pay by twenty percent." Phield raised two fingers and waved them. "As long as there’s shiny coin involved, people would even be willing to swim in lava."

Though he had no idea why his lord was raising spiders, Kaor chose to carry out the order.

"One last matter, my lord. Under your leadership, Nightfall Domain continues to grow, but we need more advisors."

Although Kaor had tasted the sweetness of power, managing a population of two thousand with only himself, Tate, and a group of still-learning children had clearly slowed administrative efficiency.

He was nearly crushed under the weight of endless duties. The children had learned much, but they were still far from handling matters independently.

"You’re right. We need more administrative personnel, especially since we’ll soon be operating two territories."

Phield stroked his chin and paced back and forth before reassuring him, "Send some of the workload to me over the next couple of days. I’ll handle it. When I visit Maple Leaf Domain next time, I’ll recruit more clerks and advisors."

Clerks could not be recruited casually. If someone with ulterior motives slipped in, it would spell disaster. They had to be evaluated carefully and proven loyal before being entrusted.

"But my lord... you..."

Phield puffed up, crossing his arms confidently. "They’re just trivial matters."

"Thank you for your understanding, my lord. Once I recover, I will give everything I have."

Kaor’s voice trembled with emotion. A lord like this was impossible to find. In the beginning, he had even resisted Phield’s orders. Thinking back on it, he felt like slapping himself.

"Let’s skip the part about burning yourself. Nightfall Domain has plenty of firewood already."

After Kaor left, Phield made a mental note of the matter.

"I haven’t seen Charlotte in a while. Let’s go see what she’s up to."

Phield rode to the orchard district under construction, where one of the three villas of Starnight Manor was being repaired.

There were no fruits yet, only young saplings, along with a few vegetable plots. Ever since issuing the logging policy, Phield would buy seeds and saplings whenever he returned from Maple Leaf City.

Charlotte was working here.

When Phield saw her, she was holding a cluster of wheat, carefully comparing the size of the grains.

"Oh? My lord, you actually came to see me."

Catching sight of him from the corner of her eye, Charlotte sprang to her feet, hurriedly set aside her work, and ran over with a bright smile.

Phield pinched her cheek. "I heard from the servants that you’ve been leaving early and returning late these past few days, worrying about the domain’s food supply. I can’t bear to let you exhaust yourself."

"Waaah, I’m so touched."

The moment he finished speaking, Charlotte’s nose tingled and tears welled up. She rushed forward, trying to nuzzle against him affectionately.

Pressing a palm against her forehead, Phield’s eyes widened. "At least wipe your nose first!"

In stories, at most it’s a beauty shedding tears.

Even a great beauty with a runny nose would still be off-putting to anyone.

"You’re disgusted by me." Charlotte instantly turned serious, shooting him a sharp look as she pouted. "You’re mean!"

"Stop messing around like a silly child." Patting her head indulgently, Phield said firmly, "Honestly, you don’t look well. Go get some rest."

Her face was pale, with heavy dark circles under her eyes. Her already slender waist now looked even more frail, giving her a fragile beauty.

Though it made her look more delicate, Phield only wanted everyone to stay healthy.

"I’m fine. I still have a lot of land to bless, and I need to select high-quality seeds. In the evening, I have to plant vegetables and fruit trees."

Charlotte counted her tasks on her fingers, then suddenly held her forehead, feeling a bit dizzy.

"No wonder I haven’t seen you these past few days."

Phield felt a pang of concern and grabbed her hand. "Put all that aside for now. Go back to Starnight Castle and rest for two days. I’ll help you plan your schedule afterward. Working like this, even a draft animal couldn’t keep up."

"No! I want to work!"

Crossing her arms resolutely, Charlotte made a big X gesture. "Building the domain and sharing your burdens is my responsibility."

Phield almost spat blood. He thought to himself that he had not brainwashed her like this.

This was like she had been injected with pure adrenaline.

"Forget responsibility. Taking care of my dear Divine Chosen is also a lord’s duty."

Knowing the hardships of overwork, Phield would never allow his subordinates to collapse from exhaustion.

Charlotte stubbornly stuck out her tongue. "Nope, I don’t need you to worry about me."

"Heh, that’s not up to you."

Phield sneered, then hoisted Charlotte over his shoulder. "Until you’ve rested enough to satisfy me, I’m not letting you do whatever you want. If you keep this up, I’ll have to grant you maternity leave myself."